Florida, Muschamp finalize contract

Notes: Hurricanes DT Brown charged with sexual battery

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida head coach Will Muschamp has finalized his contract. Muschamp received a $750,000 signing bonus, making his first year of the five-year deal worth more than $3.25 million. His average salary will be about $2.75 million annually.

The five-year deal includes $250,000 in base salary, $1.7 million annually for television and radio contracts, $260,000 annually from the school's equipment contracts, $200,000 annually from the school's apparel contract with Nike, $61,000 annually for an expense account and $29,400 annually in pension.

He also would get a $500,000 retention bonus if he's still with the program on Jan. 31, 2016, after the final year of the deal.

The contract includes a $500,000 buyout clause and is full of bonus incentives, including $250,000 for winning the Bowl Championship Series title game and $75,000 for winning the Southeastern Conference title game.

If Florida fires Muschamp, he would receive $2 million a year for every year left on the contract.

Former Orange great Little back at Syracuse

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Former Syracuse great Floyd Little has been a frequent visitor over the years to the Carrier Dome on fall afternoons to watch his alma mater play. The commute just got a lot shorter.

Little, a three-time All-American, is returning to serve as special assistant to athletics director Daryl Gross. Little will be responsible for development and donor relations, he will assist with student-athlete and team development and recruiting, and also handle special projects.

Little, a star tailback and kick returner, holds school records for career touchdowns (46) and career punts returned for touchdowns (six). He finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting in both his junior and senior years before going on to star with the Denver Broncos.

Little, who was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Professional Football Hall of Fame last year, already has been an asset to coach Doug Marrone. Little spoke to the team prior to its season opener at Akron last fall.

In his Syracuse career from 1964-1966, Little had 2,704 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns, and still holds the school record of 1,990 all-purpose yards in 1965, which topped the nation. During his junior season, Little became the first Syracuse back to run for more than 1,000 yards, gaining 1,065 on 193 carries with a 5.5 average. He also returned a career-high three punts for scores, including a school-record 95-yarder.

Hurricanes DT Brown charged with sexual battery

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Miami defensive tackle Jeffrey Brown was freed on bond early Thursday, one day after he was charged with forcing sex on an allegedly intoxicated female in her dorm room. Police say the alleged incident took place in the early morning hours of April 30. Brown surrendered to police Wednesday afternoon and was charged with one count of sexual battery about an hour later.

He has been suspended indefinitely from the Hurricanes football program. In a statement, the university said it "has become aware of the serious charges made against a student athlete,'' without referring to Brown by name. The university declined further comment. Brown's name was not listed Wednesday on Miami's football roster or the team's depth chart.

Brown, a redshirt freshman, is from Evanston, Ill. He is expected to be arraigned in about three weeks.

According to the arrest affadavit filed by the Coral Gables Police Department, the 6-foot-3, 297-pound Brown was an acquaintance of the alleged victim. Police say Brown took her back to her room after she became ill and passed out in his bathroom, then helped her into her bed, doing so "under pretense that he was concerned for her well being,'' according to the affadavit. Police said the alleged victim fell asleep, only to be awakened by Brown allegedly removing her "comforter and underwear.'' Police said Brown then had sex with the woman, despite her pleas for him to stop.

Police said Brown initially denied having sex with the alleged victim, then acknowledged doing so under further questioning. "The victim said she was helpless to resist the defendant's actions because of his stature and her state of intoxication,'' the affadavit said.

Delany: Nebraska the Green Bay Packers of Big Ten

OMAHA, Neb. -- Jim Delany calls the Nebraska Cornhuskers the Green Bay Packers of the Big Ten. The Big Ten commissioner said Wednesday that the Big Ten's attraction to Nebraska went beyond geography and a shared culture with member schools.

"It's really about the games,'' Delany said. "We're not the NFL, but the NFL has a very small-market team, Green Bay, and their games are national games, and everything they do is followed. The Nebraska brand has developed in such a way as other names like Oklahoma, Texas, Southern Cal. It's one of those programs.''

Though Nebraska accepted its invitation to the Big Ten last June, the school's appeal to the conference was called into question last week when the prestigious Association of American Universities dropped Nebraska from its membership.

The AAU is made up of about five dozen of the top research universities in the nation. Each of the current Big Ten schools is a member. Nebraska joined the association in 1909 and became the first school to be dropped. Nebraska fell short on a number of criteria related to its prowess as a research institution and was voted out.

Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman said he believed his school's AAU membership was among the factors involved in landing an invitation from the Big Ten, which has a strong reputation for academics. Delany, however, said Nebraska's AAU membership status would have had no bearing on the Big Ten's desire to make the Huskers the league's 12th member when they formally join July 1.

Delany noted that the Big Ten discussed membership with Notre Dame in the 1990s, and Notre Dame isn't an AAU member.

Delany said he couldn't be more pleased with how Nebraska has begun to move into the Big Ten. "We knew it would be good, but we couldn't imagine that the receptivity in our region and here in Nebraska would have been at such a high level,'' he said. "I haven't heard a negative thing from fans, coaches, administrators, presidents, everybody.''

Army to play Rutgers at Yankee Stadium on Nov. 12

NEW YORK -- Army will play Rutgers at Yankee Stadium on Nov. 12. Rutgers was 1-7-1 at the original Yankee Stadium, playing there for the last time in 1948. Army played at the old ballpark 38 times and was part of the first football game at the new stadium, losing to Notre Dame 27-3 on Nov. 20.

Rutgers holds a 19-18 margin in the series, winning 23-20 on Nov. 16 in the first major college football game at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.